


Winter Linstead Prompts

by rosehathaway



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Ice Skating, Jay is a skii instructor, Linstead, One Night Stands, Sharing a Bed, Slow Dancing, prompts, winter prompts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-11-17 15:28:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18101285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosehathaway/pseuds/rosehathaway
Summary: Just a number of ficlets I did from a list of winter prompts.





	1. One Night Stand

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, so if you follow me on tumblr (amesjakes), you know I've been posting these there, but since the formatting issues aren't going away, I thought I'd post them here where it's easier to follow and read. 
> 
> List of prompts: http://veronicabunchwrites.tumblr.com/post/179652750577/100-wintery-prompts-for-all-your-writing
> 
> I still have many to go, so if you sent yours in and it hasn't been done yet, it's coming. 
> 
> 01\. we just had a one-night stand but a massive storm hit so now we’re snowed in, hello awkward

**01\. we just had a one-night stand but a massive storm hit so now we’re snowed in, hello awkward**

* * *

 

The wooden floor creeks underneath her bare feet and no matter how much she tries to walk quietly, the old building is not working in her favour. One glance back at the bed reveals her definition of sleeping beauty. The guy—despite the fact that’s not how it usually works—is even more handsome than she remembers from last night. He’s sprawled over the king-sized bed, and she can’t quite see his head, but his muscular back is making her want to crawl right back into bed with him for round four.

Before she can make a fool out of herself, she reaches the hallway, finally feeling like she’s far away to pull on her clothes. She takes the time to appreciate his apartment, since she didn’t really have time or opportunity the night before. It’s clean for a bachelor’s pad, and the view of Chicago is amazing. He must have paid a fortune for it. Not that she knows if he’s rich, or even what he does for a living.

She thinks about leaving a note, but opts against it. She doesn’t want him to feel obligated to contact her again—since they both knew that this was a one-night stand only. The door clicks shut behind her and it feels almost too final, but it is what it is.

Trying to make peace with her decision, she finally reaches the exit, so she pushes the door. Except it won’t budge. She does it again, and still nothing. _Who the fuck locks the door from the inside? What if there was a fire?_

A peek through the window gives her the answer she’s looking for. The door is not locked, it simply won’t move, because there are several inches of snow blocking the entrance. She sighs. This was just what she needed—stuck in a building that’s not even her own, with no way of going back to the apartment she came from. It’s locked, and unless she were to knock to wake the guy up, she’s stuck here, in a not-so-warm hallway, wearing a little black dress and a thin coat.

Debating her options, she reaches for her phone, and swears. Her decision is made instantly, because she just can’t leave without her phone, can she? She can’t even call herself a cab, or someone to come pick her up, and her pride has its limits, and the brand-new iPhone she’s still paying off is definitely that limit.

It doesn’t mean she has to like it, she thinks, forcing herself to ring the doorbell. The memory of being pressed against that same door the night before floods her mind. Damn that man is good in bed.

Plus, he looks super adorable when he opens his door with his hair all ruffled. It makes her want to run her hand through it.

“Leaving without saying goodbye?” He gives her a pointed look and she just shrugs.

“I thought it was appropriate. It would save us from awkward exchanges like this one, except I forgot my brand-new phone here.”

“Well come in then. Can I help you find it? Call you maybe?”

Erin blushes without even thinking. That would mean he’d have her phone number, but since a quick scan of the apartment gives her nothing, she nods. He hands her his phone, and relief floods her when she heard the buzzing coming from underneath his bed.

“Thanks. So…”

“Really? You’d rather wait hours in the freezing hallway, because there is no way you’re getting out of here until they clear all that snow, than spend them here with me while I make you breakfast? Was last night that bad?”

“I don’t even know your name.”

“I’m Jay.”

“I’m Erin.” His eyes are doing something to her, and his lips mouth her name silently, as if he’s trying it out, and she finds her defences washing away.

“So, Jay, what kind of breakfast were you thinking?” Her flirty side is back again, and she takes the necessary step towards him, so their faces are inches away.

“I’m famous for my pancakes,” he murmurs. “Served best in bed.”

“Well then,” she goes on, shrugging off her coat and unzipping her dress with a practiced move, “better get to it then.”

She walks towards the bedroom, leaving behind a suddenly very thirsty Jay, debating whether to actually make those pancakes or join the naked woman in his bed.

It’s safe to say, the awkward phase does not last very much longer.

 


	2. Ice Skating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 02\. i sit at the rental booth at our local ice rink and watch you teach children how to skate  
> 03\. alternatively, i watch kids teach you how to skate because you’re a terrible skater

“You owe me so big,” Erin mutters under her breath, adjusting herself on the most uncomfortable chair that ever existed. It’s cold outside, and the little space warmer is doing nothing to stop the chill from entering the rental booth she’s currently stuck in. The little window closes, but that doesn’t help when she keeps opening it to deal with customers.

Damn Kelly for being such a nice person and volunteering. Of course, the noble stupid man he is, he got hurt saving a person from a fire without his gear, so he was now stuck at home with some minor burns on his arms. And how could she say now when he had asked her to take his shifts at the local skating ring.

She busies herself now, coming up with ideal rewards she would demand from her friend, while automatically giving out skates to kids and their parents. That’s mostly the crowd, apart from an occasional couple holding hands, or a couple of friends.

The only things keeping her from dying of boredom are the kids, falling over and getting back up, despite the fact that the icy surface looks like a painful thing to land on. But the kids don’t seem to care, and for a brief moment, their persistence makes her wish she could go out there and learn to skate.

She gives out a couple more pairs of skates before she has time to glance at the ice again, and it’s filled up quite nicely. There is a man, teaching a group of kids how to skate, and she finds it adorable. At second glance, she realizes he’s hot _._ Like ridiculously hot. His face is covered with brown stubble that gives him that rugged look, and she can tell he’s fit, despite the jacket covering his body.

The kids seem to love him too, and for the rest of the night, she watches him with the kids whenever she gets a chance.

The crowd is now mostly leaving, everyone returning their skates at once, so she doesn’t see the little figure in front of the booth. Suddenly, the man occupying her thoughts (and later maybe even dreams) is standing in front of her with a charming smile and a little girl in his arms. She holds out a cup of something warm that looks too much like cocoa.

_Please let it be cocoa._

Erin smiles and takes the cup gratefully. “Thank you. How did you know this was just what I needed?”

“You looked cold! My mom always used to make me cocoa when I was cold.” She says it so matter-of-factly, but the use of past tense tells Erin something else.

Glancing at the stranger, whose smile fades a little but not all the way, she nods in acknowledgement and mouths another _thanks_ to him, finally taking a sip of the delicious hot liquid. The warmth spreads over her and she closes her eyes at the unexpected pleasure.

“I’m Amelia by the way, this is my daddy Jay. What’s your name?”

“I’m Erin,” she tells Amelia. She thinks about how his name suits him. “It’s nice to meet you. Both of you. You looked great out there!”

“Thanks! My mom taught me. She also taught my dad, and now we teach others. It’s fun. Unless you fall. Do you skate?”

“No, and with how clumsy I am, maybe that’s a good thing,” Erin tells the chatty little thing in front of her.

“We should get going, pumpkin. It’s almost your bedtime. And I’m sure Erin has other work to do.” He watches his daughter nod and sets her down on the ground. “Go say bye to your friends. We leave in five.”

She ran off, waving to Erin.

“She insisted we bring you hot cocoa,” he explained.

“I don’t mind at all. It’s a wonderful little girl you have. Chatty too.” _Kind,_ she thinks. Maybe she takes that after her mother, or maybe after both of her parents.

“Yeah, she doesn’t get that from me,” he states the obvious, and they share a chuckle between them. “So, it was nice meeting you, Erin. Maybe I’ll see you around here again?”

“I hope so,” she replies earnestly, because she realizes that she would very much like to see that smile again.

And those freckles.

* * *

“Are you sure you can’t skate with me today, daddy?”

“No, Ames, sorry.” He doesn’t like explaining to her how hurt he got doing his job, so he does his best to hide the slight limp of his left leg, and the bruises covering his body. He doesn’t want his little girl to worry, even though with every scenario like this, he thinks more and more about asking for a desk job. He is the only parent Amelia has left, and he can’t very well let her lose that.

He was so worried after Allie had died, watching the light inside his little angel fade. But she seems to have come to terms with what happened, and she shines as bright as ever. Maybe it was a silver lining that it happened when she was so young, he thinks. Nonetheless, he makes it a point to spend as much time with her as he can. He isn’t interested in being an absentee dad.

“Will you watch me?”

“Always. I will be right here, okay?” He motions to the bench on the side—a perfect vantage point to see her.

Amelia nods, and walks away awkwardly with skates on a rubber floor. Jay glances at the rental booth. They don’t rent skates, because with how often they come here, it made more sense to buy them. But the small window doesn’t reveal the gorgeous woman from the other night. Maybe she works another shift.

He’s just gathering up the courage of maybe asking the man sitting in the booth where Erin is (at least he knows her name), when he hears a shriek from the rink. Then there she is, in all her glory, leaning dangerously backwards, as his darling daughter tells her frantically to lean forward.

His lips tug at the sides, as he smiles against his will. She looks amazing on the skates, her jean-clad legs pushing forward awkwardly. She’s wearing a red sweater and a white winter hat, and all he can think about is how dry his mouth is and how red is definitely her colour.

The truth is, her smile had awakened feelings that were buried under five feet of grief. He never imagined he would feel like this again—not after they lost Allie. But here she is, and the butterflies in his stomach take flight after a long winter sleep.

Amelia is squealing with joy, cheering Erin on as she becomes more confident in her steps. His heart swells. He wouldn’t take anything that happened to him back, because it meant that he got to be her dad. It was the single most important thing in the world.

“Daddy, we taught Erin how to skate!”

“That’s great! You’re a good teacher—better than me.”

He watched Erin as she reached the edge, leaning on the wooden railing with her elbows.

“You’ve got quite a talented thing here, you should enroll her in some classes.”

“I was thinking about that yeah. If she wants.”

“How come you’re not up here?” She seems genuinely curious, and since Amelia is not around, he tells her the truth.

“I’m a cop, got hurt on the job.”

“Don’t want her to know?” She makes a quick guess, and he nods. “How about we all go get some cocoa instead? My treat.”

Since he was just thinking of a way to ask her out without making a fool out of himself, he agrees, his smile wide enough to put the sun to shame. As they pack up and leave together, he finally finds enough game to slip one hand into hers. Her fingers wrap around his hand tightly. He thinks that maybe he doesn’t have to be alone anymore—that maybe Allie wouldn’t have wanted him to be.

When he kisses her later than day, she tastes like rum punch and hope, and perhaps even like the beginning of something much more.


	3. Ski Instructor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like Jay to warm Erin up. 
> 
> 07\. you’re my hot ski instructor and i’m failing the bunny hill

“I’m gonna kill Burgess. Kill her.”

“It’s not that bad.”

Erin had never felt so humiliated in her life. Skiing just wasn’t on the list of the things she was good at. And she was good at a lot of things, if she said so herself. She was good at kicking ass, putting away criminals, shooting, boxing, even bowling. But skiing, not so much. Which was why, when she got invited to this ski trip that her friend Kim organized, she politely turned it down. She said all the right things— _she’d just get in their way, maybe next time, she was broke_ —all the possible excuses she could think off. But Kim pouted and Erin was left with no other option than to spend one week in a cabin, in the middle of nowhere. Skiing.

“This is the easiest one, isn’t it?”

Her very hot skiing instructor made a serious attempt at stopping his chuckle, but there was no way. She smiled back at his grinning face, which only served as a confirmation of her statement.

“Yeah, pretty much,” he admitted. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it. Let’s work on your wedge.”

Erin frowned trying to remember what a wedge was. She slid the front of her skis together, pretty sure that was it. The fact that she really wanted to impress him was not helping. Ugh, if only she could take him shooting, then she’d have no problem impressing him.

“That’s good, now remember this position, go slow, and if you fall, get up with your skis facing across the slope. I’m right behind you, okay? Are you ready to try again?”

“I guess,” she shrugged and nodded.

She slowly slid down the hill, already uncomfortable with the speed she was gaining and the fact that she couldn’t control it on her skis. But she made it a point to stay in position and it went relatively well, up until she tried to do one of those turns Jay showed her, and that’s when she ended losing her balance again. What did he say? Always lean forward? It was too late for that. She felt herself falling back, felt his hands trying to prevent it, but she took him right down with her.

She got her breath knocked out of her lungs for a second, before she came back to her senses, only to realize he was too close.

“I’m not a really good instructor, am I?” He asked with a hint of a smile. “But you were really good until the fall.”

Maybe she’d be able to think of something to say, if his warm breath wasn’t tickling her face, and he didn’t smell like peppermint and Christmas. “I think I’m getting there,” she promised him, more to spare his feelings than anything else. But she loved when he smiled. For a moment, she was tempted to pull his winter hat off and slide her hand through his hair. She just _knew_ it would be soft.

“One more try. If you manage to get all the way down the slope, I’m buying you a hot toddy.”

“I have no idea what that is, but it sounds hot. Let’s do it.”

* * *

“I did it!” She screamed, and could hear his laughter approaching her. “I made it all the way down. You owe me that hot thing.”

“A word is a word. Maybe you just needed some proper motivation.”

Once he was securely stopped next to her, she wrapped her arms around him on impulse. But he didn’t pull away, instead wrapping her into a victory hug.

“Come on, I think we’re about done for the day, so how about that drink?”

* * *

“This is delicious. What is it?”

“It’s basically bourbon, water, honey and spices. Great to warm you up,” he mentioned, watching her swallowed by a fluffy sweater. She looked adorable with her hair curling at the sides and an excited smile on her face.

“I know another thing that’s great for that,” she mentioned, her words charged with an innuendo she very much intended to be there.

Before she could elaborate on that, she felt his lips hot on hers. It took her by surprise at first, how forward it was, how sudden, and it was enough for him to pull back at her hesitation.

“I’m sorry, this is really unprofessional, maybe I misread this…”

She put her hand over his mouth to stop him from talking. “You didn’t.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, but not before finally touching his hair. “I’m just very cold, and I’m gonna need a lot more warming up if you don’t mind.”

“Well lucky for you, I don’t mind at all.”


	4. Snowball Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 15\. i’m having a snowball fight with my friend in the park and i hit you instead

**15\. i’m having a snowball fight with my friend in the park and i hit you instead**  
 

* * *

 

Snow brings all kinds of people into the park—the winter enthusiasts, parents with kids, people just searching for a fun time outside. The snow storm that’s lasted for three days has finally passed, so Jay also likes to take advantage of the fact that it’s not snowing anymore to take in some fresh air and the silence snow usually brings.

Except this time, he isn't so lucky.

Not even the thick layer of snow can drown the sound of approximately fifty kids squealing with joy as they chase each other around the trees, making snow angels and building snow forts. Jay can't even be mad at them for ruining his quiet—it's too precious hearing that sound, remembering how he used to do the same with his brother when they were kids.

As he passes a group of grown-ups caught in a full-blown snow battle, he starts to think it might be time to retreat. Otherwise he might even—

He is violently pulled out of his thoughts by a hard, icy snowball, hitting the back of his unprotected head.

“Ouch,” he manages, rubbing the sore spot with his hand.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” The girl catches up with him, placing a concerned hand on his arm. He finally has time to take her in. Her head is covered with a thick white winter hat, but the hair peeking out of it is something between brunette and blonde. Her face is familiar, and he can thank his detective mind, because it only takes a second for him to click.

“It’s okay,” he replies. “Wait aren’t you—?” He pauses mid-sentence, watching her face fall. He knows he’s right—it’s Erin Lindsay, the famous actress starring every man’s dreams lately. He hasn’t seen many of her movies, but he does know you’d have to be dead not to know her name or what her face looks like.

He imagines it probably can’t be too easy, living like that, so he makes a split-second decision to retract that sentence.

“Sorry, you must have one of those faces,” he tells her, watching the dimples appear again as she shrugs and assures him that must be the case. A moment of understanding passes between them as their eyes lock together.

“Would you like to join our snow fight?” He hides his surprise well—to his credit. “I figure we ought to at least give you an opportunity to get back at us for that snow ball. Nadia makes them especially hard.”

“I’ll give you no mercy,” he promises, enjoying the way her laughter echoes in his mind for hours to come.

* * *

“Where’s your friend?” He asks, when he notices they’re walking alone. Nadia—her brunette friend must have disappeared at some point, and he was too enthralled by Erin to notice.

“She had to leave. Besides, she lives in way opposite direction than me,” Erin mumbles, taking another bite of her pretzel.

“So, she just left you alone with a stranger?”

“A stranger that just so happens to be a cop?”

His eyes widen. He hasn’t said anything about where he works, so her knowing what he does for a living comes as a surprise.

“I overheard your phone call before—you answered it as detective Halstead,” she explains, and he nods with understanding, chuckling.

“Oh, and here I was, thinking you’re a psychic.”

She laughs, genuinely laughs to his joke, and he can’t grasp how people believe her laughter on screen. Because it is nothing compared to this—to how her head tilts back when she laughs and how cute her dimples are.

“Nope, sorry to disappoint, just a good observer,” she replies to his statement. “Us performers have to be. People watching is one of our best inspirations.”

He revels in the way she opens up to him, despite only knowing him a couple of hours. There is an immediate sense of trust between them, and it seems something so rare, so precious, that he just wants to hold onto it a little longer.

“Any chance this cop is gonna walk me home?” Her words are bold, but her face looks shy, as if she could barely bring herself to say the words.

“I’ll do you one better.”

And when he pulls her in, standing underneath the street lights, surrounded by the sound of traffic and people passing by—when his lips crush softly against hers and his hands settle on her jacket-covered hips, they are not the famous actress and a police detective.

They are nothing but two souls finding something _real_ in an overwhelming flood of everything that is _not_.

 


	5. Snowed In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 32\. we’ve been arguing for the last six years about everything and the only thing we can agree on right now is the fact that being snowed in the office together sucks

**32\. we’ve been arguing for the last six years about _everything_ and the only thing we can agree on right now is the fact that being snowed in the office together sucks **

* * *

 

“What do you mean we can't leave?!” She might have exclaimed this too loudly, but there was no way back now. Besides, it was Jay. The person she loathed more than anything—the person she spent the last six years fighting with about anything and everything. She was more than sure that he reciprocated the hate.

The newspaper offices were mostly empty due to the holidays, aside for the last two people currently staring at each other with fury.

“I know it’s hard for you, but for once, be reasonable. We can’t leave because there is a snow storm out there that’s already resulted in a couple inches of snow. Even if we could clean our cars, the roads will be a disaster. It’s much safer to wait here.”

“This is all your fault,” she finally spat out, finding no other way to dispute his claims that they can’t leave, because this once he might actually be right. She hated how high-pitched her voice got and how she couldn’t do anything to change it. Jay just had a way of getting under her skin—and not in a good way. “You just had to ruin my holidays, didn’t you?”

“Trust me, I’d rather be anywhere else than stuck here with you,” he replied sullenly, and she glanced at him. They were always fighting—yes—but he had never been so openly hostile towards her before.

“What did I ever do to you?” She burst out, remembering that at some point at the beginning she used to like him. She found him ridiculously hot. Full disclosure: she still found him hot, even when he infuriated her.

“Nothing,” he mumbled, obviously trying to avoid the subject, but that only piqued her interest.

“Seriously, there was a point where I though maybe you liked me. I can’t remember doing anything to you that would make you hate me.”

“You didn’t.”

“So, what?”

He buried his face in his hands, trying to remain calm through her interrogation. The answer to her question—however—didn’t come.

“Fine. How about truce then? It’s Christmas Eve, and out of all the people, I have to spend it with you. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t love to spend it fighting.”

“If we must,” he agreed, his eyes flickering above them. Really, in hindsight, she should have anticipated them standing under the stupid mistletoe—it was hanging all around the office. But in that moment, she followed his gaze and swallowed.

She was starting to say something, but there was no time for deliberation. His lips invaded hers, and they melted together like liquid silver—finally finding an outlet for all that pent-up anger, or whatever it was. His hands felt like salvation on her touch-starved body.

This wasn’t what she had in mind with truce, but when he lifted her up on an office desk, pulling on her skirt, she absolutely wasn’t thinking about any of that.

* * *

“That was…” She was still out of breath because of what that was. His eyes sparkled and he gave her a cheeky smile. They were curled on an office sofa, basically on top of each other.

“Yeah. It was.”

“Are you ever going to tell me why you hate me so much?”

He puffed, “God, you don’t give up do you?” He pulled her body flush against him, covering them both with a fleece blanket. “I never hated you.”

“Then why pick all those fights?”

He sighed. At this point, he didn’t see any other options but telling her the truth. “When you first started working here—a newbie writer, I wanted to ask you out. I was going to do it after your first article was published, but Voight threatened me. He said he didn’t like his staff being involved romantically. So, I backed off. I didn’t want to jeopardize your journalism career. But staying away from you was harder than I thought, so I started picking fights with you, because it made it easier. Well a little anyway. At first. Then I just started imagining what it would be like to shut you up by kissing you. Until tonight, when I did.”

She blinked to get those tears out of her eyes, convincing her that it was the post-orgasmic state that was making her vulnerable. Snuggling comfortably against his warm body under the blanket, she couldn’t find the right answer right away.

When she finally did answer, he was sure she had fallen asleep.

“I’m glad you did.”

“Truce? A real one this time?”

“Yeah.” She lifted her head to meet him halfway in a kiss. “Merry Christmas, Jay.”

“Merry Christmas.”

* * *

“But we’ll have to keep up the fights to throw everyone off,” she said minutes later. His chest shook with laughter.

“Oh, definitely.”

 

 


	6. First Snow Screamer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 53\. your scream woke up the entire building because you’re so damn excited about the first snow fall and i’m going to give you a piece of my mind except you’re really cute

Jay is crudely awakened by a piercing scream that pulls him out of his surprisingly good dreams. He was never the one to go knocking on his neighbour’s doors, even in case of a wild part on the weekends, but the mere glance at his phone tells him that it’s past two in the morning. If he’s lucky, he would succeed in falling back asleep, and otherwise he’ll have to do with three hours of sleep. Not to mention he chases criminals for a living.

It doesn’t take him long to find the source of the mysterious scream. His upstairs neighbour was walking around her apartment excitedly, gushing about something. To who, he doesn’t know.

Jay always tried to maintain good relations with all his neighbours, but this girl moved in a couple of weeks ago—he hadn’t even met her yet, and she had already woken him up twice. So really, it’s his place to teach her some neighbourly manners, he convinces himself as he drags his feet up the stairs. A couple of other people peek from behind open doors as Jay goes by, which only proves he isn’t the only victim of the late-night screamer.

He tries—he really tries to knock calmly and politely, but he might exaggerate a bit. He decides to write his uncharacteristic rudeness to the lack of sleep, and waits for the still-excited footsteps to approach the door.

“Seriously, some of us have to work in the morning, so if you could maybe stop screaming in the middle of the night for no reason, that would be great!” He gets all that out before even looking at her. And a good thing too, because as soon as his eyes lock on hers, he’s rendered speechless by the gorgeous pair of eyes and a set of dimples to complete the package. She’s smiling at him, and all he could think about is how incredibly unlucky those renaissance painters were to never have been able to capture a smile like hers.

“I’m really sorry,” she tells him, with no actual sign of regretting it. She shrugs dismissively, as if it’s not important at all. “It wasn’t for no reason though!”

She grabs his arm, dragging him all the way to the window. He understands now why her scream echoed so much. Everything is covered in inches of snow, to the point where it feels almost as if the world is wrapped in cotton candy. The silence radiates, and so does the look in her eyes when she motions to the blanket of white, covering everything he sees.

“First snowfall of the season! It always makes me so excited. I’m sorry, I just wasn’t able to contain it. I didn’t think I’d wake anyone up,” she admits, looking almost bashful suddenly. To her credit, this time, she looks like she means it.

“I guess I’ll live,” he concedes, already thinking how to get the cute neighbour’s phone number. “It does look pretty nice.” _Oh, please, you hate winter. Who are you kidding?_

“Sorry again for waking you.”

“It wouldn’t be a problem, but I’m not sure I can fall back asleep.”

“Well, in that case, may I offer some company? I’m way too excited to sleep now. I can’t wait to go out in the morning.”

“I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

She pulls two beers out of the fridge and motions him to the couch. Because she’s a nice person, she lets him pick a movie on Netflix—and because he’s a gentleman, he picks something winter-y to fuel her excitement.

And when he wakes up in the morning, with her head resting heavy on his shoulder and their limbs tangled together under the blanket, he starts to think that maybe winter isn’t so bad after all.


	7. Security Guard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 80\. you’re the security guard on campus who walks people to their car/bus stop so they feel safe and I really didn’t need the buddy system but you’re hella cute

In hindsight, she should have known. She should have known Kim would get drunk when she came to her whining that she needs to get over Adam, and how much her heart hurts, and blah blah. Erin wishes she could understand—she does. But she’s never been in love, therefore she’s never had her heart broken. It’s half envy, half relief, really. It’s a mix of emotions, because on one hand, she wants to experience it, and on the other, everyone she knows just hurts from it.

But it isn’t her main concern right now. Her main concern is the blackout drunk friend she sat down on the edge of the sidewalk, and is currently singing a really bad rendition of My Way by Frank Sinatra. Singing is not her forte. At all.

“Hi, excuse me?” Erin isn’t sure if he heard her, so she taps his shoulder gently. “I’m really sorry, but my friend, she’s had a little too much to drink, and she lives all the way across campus.” And she doesn’t know how exactly she’s supposed to get her there, since she called three cabs and they all gave her an ETA of two hours. She can’t wait two hours—she has a nine o’clock class.

When he turns, she’s almost glad Kim has had too much to drink. He has a pair of most amazing blue eyes, and when they lock on hers, despite the darkness, she feels her breath catch in her throat.

Even if the guy in front of her wasn’t a part of the buddy system, Erin is so grateful for its existence. The spike of violence and rapes on campus lately has given all the girls pause when it comes to going out and having a good time, and god knows they need all the fun they can get.

But when the security volunteers look like _that,_ it’s just an added bonus.

“That’s what we’re here for. I’m Jay, this is Adam. Where did you say your friend lives?”

Erin gives him the instructions, expecting them to take Kim, and leave her where she is, but while Jay’s friend busies himself with getting Kim into the car, Jay turns back to face her and asks where he can take her.

“I’m just around the corner, really. It’s no problem, you don’t have to.”

“I insist.”

She’s 95% sure he’s flirting with her, but she really can’t be certain. _Jay_ is not exactly the sort of guy she usually dated or hung out with in the past. Which begs the question—maybe that was her biggest mistake?

“So, what made you join the buddy system?”

“I just wanna help the girls feel safe. I feel that if some guys insist on making this world a more dangerous place, it’s my responsibility to make their job a lot harder.”

Erin smiles against her will. “Good answer.” She’s walking slow on purpose, trying to spend more time with him, but it’s so cold she wants to run to her dorm. “I’m never getting used to Chicago winters.”

“Not from here, then?” He slips off his jacket and puts it around her shoulders. “That should help.”

“Thank you.” It smells like crisp air and peppermint and oranges. She never wants to take it off.  “I’m definitely not from here. But besides the weather, I like Chicago. Oh, this is me. I told you it was around the corner.”

“It was still my pleasure walking you. Make sure you lock up behind you.”

“I will.”

A moment of silence reminds her of everything she wanted to say to him still. But the seconds are running so fast, and she is running out of time. The buzzing of his phone wakes her from her daydream.

“This was Adam—your friend is home safely. He tucked her in and left a glass of water on her nightstand. He also managed to fall in love with her on their way, despite the fact that she was unconscious half of the time.”

“Kim does have that effect on people,” she comments with a hint of humour in her voice. Then her expression grows more serious and her eyes lock on his. He looks expectant of what she is going to say next, hanging on every word. “I felt very safe with you,” she tells him, handing back his jacket. “Mission accomplished.”

“I’m glad. Have a good night, Erin.”

“You too.”

She closes the door behind her, leaning on it, grinning. Pulling a post-it from a stack and a pen, she opens the door, again. “Hey, Jay?”

He turns, his expression hopeful. “Yes?”

“This is my number. Use it.”

He grins, nodding, and she returns inside, her phone chirping the moment she does. It’s a text from an unknown number, except she knows exactly who the number belongs too.

**Make sure to lock up** **😉**

Erin feels ridiculous for not being able to stop smiling, but it’s too late to do anything about it now. Disregarding the fact that she has an early class, she plops on the bed and starts texting back.


	8. Winter Formal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 23\. i’m trying to get away from an annoying person at the winter formal so i decide to ask the next person who walks by my table to dance and you just happen to be the most popular person in school

Jay was in hell.

He never even particularly wanted to go to the winter formal in the first place, but Abby asked him, practically begged him, and he felt bad rejecting her so he agreed to be her date. The only problem was that she hasn’t stopped talking since they arrived, not even when he asked her to dance. She lasted one song, before they ended up behind a table again, chatting away about high school gossip he knew nothing about—and wasn’t interested in. And even if the topic of the conversation was something he could contribute to, he couldn’t get a word in anyway. At first it was okay, but then she started commenting the other girls, spitting out nasty words as if it was somehow okay, and that’s when Jay had it.

Maybe it was desperation or something else, but he saw a girl approaching, a cloud of red satin, and before he could stop himself, he stood up to intercept her as she passed their table.

“Would you like to dance?”

_Fuck, fuck, fuck. You just asked Erin Lindsay to dance. You just asked the most popular and gorgeous girl in school to dance. Fuck._

Her eyes glanced at Abby, and a hint of understanding appeared on her face. Her expression softened, and he got ready for a gentle let-down, when she suddenly nodded and took his hand. Jay gulped, trying to grasp what was going on, but she was already dragging his to the dance floor, where a slow dance had just started.

And suddenly Jay understood why half the school had a crush on Erin Lindsay. Because she had the most beautiful pair of eyes, he’d ever seen up close, and the way her hands curled behind his neck made his skin tingle with an unknown sensation. She smelled like something sweet—probably a perfume Jay couldn’t identify, but one that woke all his senses.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

“Anytime. It’s not exactly as if my date is gonna dance with me tonight.”

His eyes followed her gaze to spot Charlie, surrounded by three girls, clearly enjoying himself immensely. “He’s a jerk,” Jay replied—even his limited social knowledge isn’t that bad. Charlie is a jerk to everyone around him. “He shouldn’t treat his girlfriend like that.”

“Ex-girlfriend,” she corrected him.

“I knew you were smarter than that,” he replied with a grin. “Did he even tell you how beautiful you are tonight?”

“That would require him to actually look at me.” She shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.”

But it was, because the long red dress hung perfectly on her lithe body, her eyes were a smoky dark colour, and the fact that she wore her hair down in messy girls made her look almost ethereal. Like a bohemian goddess or a pagan queen.

“Well you are. Gorgeous.”

“Thank you.” She gave him a rare genuine smile. “Jay, right?”

“How do you know my name?”

“I know a lot of things. How would you like to get out of here?”

He stared at her for a second. “But don’t you need to stay to see if you won the winter queen?”

“Who cares. Come on.”

The burger they shared in an abandoned booth of a diner was one of the best he’s ever had, and the kiss she pressed on his lips before he dropped her off made sure that was the night he’d never forget.


	9. Family Thinks We're Dating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 45\. your family ditches you for the holiday so i take you home with me, except my family thinks we’re dating now, and i don’t know how to tell them that we’re not.

“Ugh, damn it!”

Erin frowns and looks down at her phone, double checking the information in the text she just received. Her cheeks turn red then, at first with anger and then with slight embarrassment that her family just ditched her for the holidays, so apparently, she’d have to spend them here. Alone. No homemade food, no decorations, no wrapped presents under the tree. She would even miss Justin and his annoying pranks.

“What?” Comes immediate response from her roommate.

“Camille just e-mailed me, she’s taking a trip with Hank for the holidays, so our traditional holiday hang is off this year. I guess I’m stuck here.”

_Here_ isn’t so bad, to be fair. The apartment she gets to share with Jay and one other roommate is amazing. They got pretty lucky with it, and Erin is still convinced they made some type of deal with the devil.

But the holidays were always a family thing, and to think of spending them alone, and on campus too, is saddening at best. It would also be the first since she came to live with them that they didn’t spend together.

“So come with me. My family won’t mind, and I’m not leaving you here alone,” Jay suggests immediately and without hesitation. Her eyes land on his face to see if he’s being serious, and nothing in his expression implies this is a joke.

“You mean it?” She looks at him, reminding herself that he’s just a friend, and tells that flutter in her stomach to calm the fuck down.

“Yeah. It’s done. I’ll let my mom know. I wasn’t looking forward to all my cousins making fun of me for having no girlfriend anyway. A friendly face will be nice for a change.” His cousins, and more importantly, his father. But he doesn’t mention that to Erin, scared that she’ll change her mind.

“Thanks! You’re a good friend, Jay.”

He tries not to flinch and sends a short text to his mother, explaining the situation, all the while wondering if the word _friend_ will always stop sounding so bittersweet.

* * *

“Here we are. I’m very sorry for my family,” Jay apologizes in advance, a hundred percent certain that they’ll do something to embarrass him. But he glances at his mother rushing through the front door with affection and aims a boyish smile at her, unaware of the fact that Erin’s knees turn to wax when she sees it.

“Hey, mom.”

“Oh dear, will you stop growing already? I swear you’re taller every time I see you.”

His tiny mother stands up on her tiptoes to press a loud kiss to his cheek while he wraps his arms around her inhaling the scent of home.

“And this is Erin,” he starts, his mother already forgetting him and turning to see the first girl he’s ever brought home. “She’s a friend from college. I couldn’t let her eat dorm food for the holidays.”

“Of course not. I must’ve done something right with you,” his mom mutters and Erin grins. She likes the woman already—the dimples in her cheeks, the warm smile on her face. She notices Jay looks at her a lot and concludes that her son just must’ve forgotten to tell her something.

“It’s nice that you’ve finally brought a girl home, I was almost entirely sure by now that you swing the other way.”

Erin looks quite lost for her words, so Jay jumps in to try and explain that Erin isn’t his girlfriends, but just a girl that’s a friend. His mother, however, has already made up her mind, and is smiling widely as she takes them inside the house. Erin can’t stop herself from observing the woman, realizing that this is where Jay gets his smile from.

“You’ll have to share Jay’s room, since all his cousins showed up unannounced, and I put them in the guest room already. Of course, that’s what they do every year. I should have anticipated it.”

“That’s fine,” Erin assures her, before Jay can even start to explain that they’re not together like that.

“You sure?”

“Is it gonna be any different from when we fall asleep watching tv on the couch?” She shrugs it off. Jay’s face regains some of its colour, and he nods in reply.

“You’re right.”

The rest of the day is amazing. They eat too much food; some family members gather around the piano and sing old classic songs. Even Erin chips in with some Doris Day impersonations. Jay steers clear of the piano, but watches from the sofa. Watches her mostly—the way her hair falls out of her ponytail, and the way she bites her lips between verses.

“How long have you been in love with her?”

“Mom, I told you, Erin and I are just friends. We’re close, because we’re roommates, but that’s it.”

“Why do you think you have to hide, Jay? She’s a lovely girl, and I can see the way you look at her. And the way she looks at you, when she thinks nobody is looking. I’m glad you found someone like this.”

Then his mom gets up and leaves, and he’s left there with an image of Erin and with thoughts that invade his mind.

* * *

“You have a wonderful family,” she murmurs, as they’re getting ready for bed. She’s already in her pajamas, and is eyeing the bed, trying to appear casual. But as much as she shrugged it off before, there seems to be something so intimate about sharing Jay’s teenage bed with him.

It’s different.

“I can still take the floor, you know?” He interrupts, apparently not ignorant to her internal struggle.

“No, it’s fine. I was just wondering how many girls you slept with in this bed,” she teases to ease the tension, but ends up doing the opposite. Because now all she can think about, apparently, is how Jay is in bed. And she bets he’s really good.”

“Relax, there was just one, and it wasn’t even the same mattress.”

“Just kidding,” she says. _Why is she so fucking nervous? Like a virgin on her wedding night._

Erin decides to just get over it, and climbs into bed, with Jay following suit. Erin turns away, towards the wall, and tries to calm her breathing. With time, she drifts to sleep without ever turning. If she did, perhaps she would’ve seen the longing in his eyes, but for at least one more night, she’s oblivious to his feelings.

* * *

“Sweet girlfriend you’ve got there.”

Jay looks up from his breakfast cereal, and barely finds the power to correct his cousin Liam.

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

It’s the same thing that he’s had to tell himself when he woke up, and she was dangerously close to him. So close, he could inhale the flowery scent he knows belongs to her shampoo. He repeats the said words like a mantra every couple of minutes, because being here with her, while everyone thinks they’re together, is dangerous all on its own. Because it would be so easy to just pretend for a minute or two that she is his girlfriend.

“Can I ask her out then? She’s smokin’.”

Jay grinds his teeth together. For some reason, not entirely unknown to him, it bothers him. Even the thought of Erin going on a date with someone else—someone else kissing her, someone else getting to know her the way he does—makes him upset. But he shrugs dismissively, because Erin isn’t his property, and he can’t stop her from seeing other guys, even though he wishes he was the only guys she was seeing.

Where it gets tougher, is with his dad.

Because Jay has never had a great relationship with him. Rocky at best, horrible at worst times, and so when he comes over to congratulate him, because he’s got a great girl, Jay curses everything and just murmurs a _thank you._ One white lie can’t hurt, can it?

But later on, when they’re getting in bed, he feels just horrible about it. He feels like he used her for his own gain, and it bothers him to the point where he tells her the truth. Her reaction isn’t what he expected. He thought she’d be angry, but she gives him un understanding look, and tells him she’s flattered to be his fake girlfriend in front of his dad.

But her face tells him otherwise—the eyes he knows to be so sparkly with joy, are now clouded with something he can’t make out. And really, when he props up her chin with his finger, he doesn’t intend to do anything. Not kiss her at all. Just comfort her somehow. But then she’s looking at him, and the next thing he knows, his hands are in her hair and his lips planted firmly on hers.

And the most surprising thing?

She’s kissing him back.

Her lips move with his, her arms linking behind his neck, and he thinks maybe he died and went to heaven, because he can finally hold her. Only a soft moan wakes him up from his reverie, and he figures it’s time to pull back before he goes too far.

They’re both out of breath, both looking at each other for an answer to god knows what question. Then his lips break into a smile, and she follows suit.

“I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” he admits, gaining courage, because she wouldn’t have kissed him back like this, unless there was something there.

“Me too. I just didn’t think that you…”

“Same.”

When he wakes up the next morning, with Erin curled up against him, and he doesn’t need to gently disentangle from her limbs before she wakes up, he thinks that maybe this is the best Christmas ever, and that maybe, she is the best present he’ll ever get.


End file.
